PRESS

"...a fine cast, headed by the astounding Polish-born contralto Ewa Podles in the title role. As each aria concluded, Ms. Podles’ uninhibited and vocally thrilling performance drove the audience, which packed Caramoor’s open-air Venetian Theater on a rainy night, to one ecstatic ovation after another...Ms. Podles, a born Rossinian, is that rarity: a true contralto with a smoky, rich and throbbing sound. Dusky colorings shade not just her earthy low register but her fearless top notes as well...it is the overall intensity of her singing that enthralls. Her performances of showpiece arias like Di Tanti Palpiti were magnificent. Yet the depths of her communicative artistry came through even more in the long stretches of dramatic recitative. She was deeply affecting in Tancredi’s hauntingly restrained death scene."